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"Son of man, propound a riddle and speak a 1parable to the house of Israel,
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saying, 'Thussays the LordGOD, "A great2eagle with 3greatwings, longpinions and a fullplumage of manycolorscame to 4Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar.
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"He pluckedoff the topmost of its youngtwigs and brought it to a land of merchants; he set it in a city of traders.
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"He also tooksome of the seed of the land and planted it in 5fertilesoil. He placed it besideabundantwaters; he set it like a 6willow.
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"Then it sprouted and became a low, spreadingvine with its branchesturnedtoward him, but its rootsremainedunder it. So it became a vine and yieldedshoots and sent out branches.
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"But there was anothergreateagle with greatwings and muchplumage; and behold, thisvinebent its rootstoward him and sent out its branches toward him from the bedswhere it was 7planted, that he might water it.
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"It was planted in goodsoilbesideabundantwaters, that it might yieldbranches and bearfruit and become a splendidvine."'
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"Say, 'Thussays the LordGOD, "Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots and cutoff its fruit, so that it withers -so that all its sproutingleaveswither? And neither by greatstrengthnor by manypeople can it be raised from its roots again.
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"Behold, though it is planted, will it thrive? Will it not 8completelywither as soon as the eastwindstrikes it-wither on the bedswhere it grew?""'